Siemens back to immigration

Forgiven for previous £77m failure

The UK's Immigration and Nationality Directorate welcomes back an IT supplier which was at the centre of its previous computer failures.

The Home Office has commissioned Siemens Business Services (SBS) to run IT systems for processing work permit and immigration application fees, it said.

The £6.7m outsourcing contract marks a return to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) for the supplier. The directorate replaced SBS with Atos Origin to run its main IT operations in 2004 after it was forced to shelve a failing £77m computer system.

Among its activities, the IND charges people who make applications to extend their permits to remain and work in the UK. SBS will process these fees and handle cashiering services at four public enquiry offices in Croydon, Liverpool, Glasgow and Birmingham.

At present cashiering is carried out inhouse at these centres, but it will be outsourced to SBS under the three year deal. The service for these centres is expected to start during summer 2006.

Two SBS teams, one in Durham and the other in Sheffield, will process the 'leave to remain' and work permit applications.